


This Autumn Evening 🍂

by itsinthestars



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autumn, Co-workers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Happy Ending, Holding Hands, Mild Language, One Shot, Park setting, Reylo - Freeform, to get me back into writing fanfic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27095923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsinthestars/pseuds/itsinthestars
Summary: It's been over a year since Ben last saw Rey and one evening walking in the park he spots his former co-worker snoozing on a bench...
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	This Autumn Evening 🍂

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I last wrote any fanfic so this one-shot is a little exercise for me, to get back into writing :) Hope you like!

Ben Solo loved Autumn. He loved the sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet. All the streets in his neighborhood were messy, with bright yellow, orange, and red leaves. He checked his watch and figured he had a few minutes to take a stroll across Naboo Gardens Park before heading home.

The sunset had yet to start as Ben started to walk through the park. He looked around and saw people out for a walk, some with dogs, one with a yellow bird perched on an older man's shoulder. Ben smirked as he turned his head and saw kids with their parents, some playing soccer, some laying on the plush green meadow of grass looking up at the sky.

There was a slight chill in the air, which made Ben look down to see all his coat buttons buttoned. As he walked, a leaf in the air caught his attention. He followed the leaf's destination, laying on the head of a young woman sitting on a bench feet away. She had her eyes closed and her arms crossed, making it look like she was taking a nap. It was apparent she was as she didn't react to the leaf still on her head. She wore a gray-colored fitted sweater, jeans, and converse shoes. She was in casual clothes, but he recognized her. As Ben walked toward her, he could hear her soft breathing as she continued to sleep. Ben waited almost a minute before he dreaded what he did next.

"Rey?" He asked.

"Hmm...?" She started to open her eyes. She instantly recognized that voice and his face. "I—Oh fuck...it's you."

Ben scoffed, moving his mouth one side then the other. "Yeah."

Rey felt annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way home when I saw you here..." He shrugged. "Hey, it could have been someone worse."

"Not likely."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Nice."

She shrugged, looking anywhere but him. "Well, this is weird."

Ben nodded. "Look, it's been over a year since we last saw each other." He motions for the seat next to her. She shrugged in response, which makes him see that as close to an invitation to sit beside her. He finally sat next to her, looking ahead for a second, the sunset started to occur. He looked next to her, seeing Rey's profile, looking at it as well. He saw her gently sun-kissed skin, her freckles on her nose that he always thought as cute. He then saw her hazel eyes stare into his brown eyes, and he gulped.

"What do you want, Ben?"

"You never answered my texts or calls," he stated.

"I felt I didn't need to."

He scrunched his brows in confusion. "Why?"

"Why? Because we weren't co-workers anymore!" She said crossly.

"You left."

"Of course, I did. I couldn't stay in that damn office any longer."

Ben looked at Rey with an earnest look. "I thought we were friends."

Rey remained silent, her arms still crossed. She didn't look his way.

Ben kept staring in her direction. "I thought there was something more between us. Remember, in the break room, as I handed your cup of hot chocolate? We had gone to dinner the night before. You said you wanted to do that again, but not as friends—"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does!" He said passionately.

Rey finally looked his way with a brow raised. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to ask you out!"

Rey remained silent but stared into his eyes, afraid she would get lost as she did so long ago.

"Rey, we all thought you were going to get that editorial assistant position. You should have gotten it." He sighed, leaning his head back, looking at the mixture of orange, yellow, and pink colors from the sunset. "Didn't you ever read or hear my messages?" He whispered.

Rey shook her head.

Ben sighed with slight agitation. "Snoke is a hard ass. He's the worst, but he gave me an ultimatum. Either I take the position, or he would fire me.

Rey looked back at Ben with the first look of concern towards him. "He did what?"

"I was going to leave and have him offer it to you...but..." Ben looked up, remembering that awful day in Snoke's office, then looked back at Rey. "He said it would be a waste for me to leave because he was never going to offer you the position."

Anger fired in Rey's eyes suddenly. "That bastard! After five years of being his assistant and journalist and making his disgusting smoothies with vodka." She shuttered, remembering it all, again. "If not you nor me, who?"

"Hux."

"That pasty little—" She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "He had only been there two years, just a year less than you!"

"I know." He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.

Rey looked ahead with disgust. "That sexist ugly shit."

"Yup." He looked at Rey with sincere sadness. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I should have just heard your messages." After a moment of silence, she said, "I've been working at this independent online magazine near the outskirts of Coruscant. I mostly work at home but have to be at the office, at least twice a week."

"I know."

Rey looked back and Ben and raised her brows. "You do?"

He nodded. "I've read your pieces, and like always, they're incredible."

She gave a small smile, the first of the night. "Thanks, Ben." She sighed. "What a waste of time."

"What?"

"I wasted a year of being mad at you when we could have been dating."

Ben's eyes enlarged, not expecting that. "Oh, I—"

Rey gave him a half-sile. "Unless you're seeing someone else."

He shook his head quickly. "I'm not... you?"

"Nope."

"Okay." He sees Rey uncross her arms and get comfortable on the bench, placing her hands on her lap. "Rey, why were you sleeping here? Do you do it often?"

She scoffed. "Sometimes, I just need a little quiet from work and my apartment filled with my roommates and..." She scrunched her nose as she patted her head and grabbed the leaf that was still on her head. "What the—" She gave him a shocked look. "You jerk! Why didn't you tell me I had this leaf on my head?" She shoved his shoulder not too hard but almost playfully.

Ben laughed, which made Rey laugh with him. A minute later, they looked at each other, both feeling a sense of hope in the air.

"Do you want to get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate sounds lovely."

"With mint chocolate shavings—I remember."

Rey's eyes lit up. "You got a date, Solo."

They both got up and started to walk together toward the end of the park. The trees beside them had leaves falling all around.

"I love Autumn," Rey said suddenly. "The crisp air, the different colored leaves, the end of daylight savings..." She grinned.

"It's my favorite time of the year, too."

"I know." Rey kept her smile as she slowly reached for Ben's hand.

He looked startled at first, but as he saw her face, he remained at ease and instantly felt the warmth of her hand. He gave her a small smile as they continued to walk together in this autumn evening. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this was a good read :) Please leave a comment, leave your feedback, it's much appreciated.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr: https://wishingupontheskyandstars.tumblr.com


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